Category: Sequins and Sapphires

Kathryn Kazibwe: The silence grows and stretches almost into a murmur as the smoke from his pipe fills the dim room. Wisps of it swirl in front of my eyes and rest on my cheeks like an invisible veil. I can't breathe; I won't breathe until he speaks. But the silence stretches on and on, and I suck in a […]

By Kathryn Kazibwe: I hate being ignored. I wouldn't call myself the biggest attention seeker, so when I do call for attention, I want it given, pronto! There's this thing people like to do when you ask them a question and they take forever to answer, and when they do, it's with a cursory “hmm?” God, how I hate it […]

By Kathryn Kazibwe: “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grief to bear…” I love this hymn. The melody is simple yet electric, and the lyrics touch one deeply; they pregnant with meaning. And this morning the choir sounds angelic to my ears, they sing each word like they have intimate knowledge of it. It is […]

By Kathryn Kazibwe: “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grief to bear…” The congregation sings along as the church choir belts out the familiar hymn on Sunday morning. Most have their eyes shut tight, many wave their arms in the air, holy hands they call them. Some are so overcome with emotion that tears are […]

By Kathryn Kazibwe: They say we all have the perfect ingredients for the perfect life; the sugar and the spice, but it's all within a barrel of lies that we must pick away to find what we're truly looking for. When I was still a little girl and the ration of innocence I was packaged with was still intact, I […]

By Kathryn Kazibwe: Recently on Twitter everyone made a huge joke out of the rampant district creation going on in Uganda. My favorite was one where your boss no longer calls you to his office; instead he pops his head out and says, “Step into my district for a second!” I had a good laugh about it until someone asked […]

By Kathryn Kazibwe: It is a bright day. The water is dotted with boats, and swimmers in various states of undress. People of all ages and sizes are strewn on the beach, laughing, playing, cuddling, languishing, some even seemingly asleep. There's color splashed all around; swimsuits, picnic blankets, towels, stray polythene bags, the air itself seems to take on a […]

By Kathryn Kazibwe: The usual cat calls assail me as I approach the local bodaboda stage. These men are relentless! For more than two months now I've been using this route on my way to work, and ever since that first day they've been calling out to me, with statements varying from hilarious to downright disgusting. Recently they overheard me […]

Kathryn Kazibwe: I love music. I love the way notes and melodies unite and blend to create something whose beauty is almost tangible. I love how the lyrics meld themselves to that beauty and give birth to an orgasmic explosion of meaning. I love music, but unfortunately, I cannot carry a tune to save my life! It is a disability […]